Go Skateboarding Day is one day of the year where even skaters who have given up the good life for an office job, dust off their board and try to rekindle their love for skating! It is also a day where talented amateurs and pros shred their faces off for our enjoyment!

So here are three very different outlooks on Go Skateboarding Day, first up are UK Punk/ Hardcore outfit Giants, followed by Manchester’s The Black Sheep skate shop, that boasts skater Eddie Belvedere and finally Whittus Apparel who take their style with them on to the park. See what they are all up to and where they recommend you head today!

Essex based lads Giants sure know what they are doing when it comes to Punk/ Hardcore but they go hard when they take to their decks too! This is no secret, the guys put skateboards on everything! With that said, Giants seemed the perfect choice to answer some questions in the run up to Go Skateboarding Day! See what the guys had to say about their favourite spots, tricks and injuries! There is even a shot edit by the band at the bottom, sweet!

What is your deck of choice and your fav style of skating? (e.g. street, vert, big air)Haha, erm I have never really thought about this like this but I guess street. Never really had a preference on boards, I hardly ever break them so as long as it’s a good size I’m cool.

Best trick you guys can do and the trick you wish you could do?Haha, I’m not sure… I usually try to make sure whatever I can do in regular I learn in switch too… I skate switch a lot, people hate me in games of SKATE. I guess a switch frontside flip always pisses them off the most so yeah maybe that haha.

When you get time to skate, are there any spots you are particularly fond of?There’s a couple of local parks to us now, when we were younger there was none so it’s great to see. Mile End and Lloyds Park are the best for me.

What is the worst injury you have sustained on your board, when and how did it happen?Haha I’ve never actually sustained a mega injury actually ON my skateboard, save a couple of bad rolled ankles here and there… but I snapped a tendon in my foot when I was 15 by running for a train to get home, as I was out late skating and was in trouble with my parents (so punk, man.) The train station floor was wet and my foot bent the other way, apparently it was inches from breaking.

Finally what are your plans for Go Skateboarding Day? Will you get any time of to shred?Taking a day off of work and heading to Mile End all day hopefully! They have a Lakai demo going on I think so will check that out!

The Black Sheepis one of the best (even if strangely named) skate shops in Manchester and a hub of activity for pro and up and coming skaters. The store stocks some sweet gears across two stores in the city as well as having an on site indoor and outdoor park setup! Perfect for anyone wanting to show off their talent or just get some practice time on their board! See what street apparel they stock on their online store right here!

Check out what the guys down at The Black Sheep, including Superdead‘s Eddie Belvedere, are doing for the one day of the year where skating comes to the forefront of even the tamest skaters lives! They tell us what they think of Manchester’s skate scene and pick out some of the best spots to shred in the city.

The Black Sheep

What is the store doing to celebrate Go Skateboarding Day and how important is a day like this to the success of skate shops?

We have the Tech Deck guess a spot competition where the winner gets a signed Willy Santos deck and tons of goodies also the Black Sheep are meeting up with all the skaters in Manchester meet at our new store at 59 Church Street and skate some spots in Manchester ending up at our skatepark at mason street. Should be hectic but all good fun!

How do you rate Manchester’s skate scene compared to some of the other big cities in the UK?
Manchester is thriving and has a very healthy skate scene with our skatepark and the pump cage under the Mancunion way plus dozens of well known street spots, Theres established pros that live and work in Manchester right through to a really strong scene of up an coming kids and well as some gnarly old men haha.

Does the store have anything planned for the rest of 2013 to get the skaters excited?

We are always immersed in skateboarding for starters The Black Sheep team have been invited to spend a full week on there own in the DC embassy in Barcelona and they are hyped about that. We have trips planned for the team for the rest of the year in europe and across the UK and all the video edits will be online shortly after, We also won the English leg of the Vans Shop Riot again for the fourth time in a row so we have to compete in the European shop final later this year which always a riot of a road trip, so plenty to do for the rest of the year.

Eddie Belvedere

How old were you when you started skating and when did you know it was what you wanted to do with your life?

I first started skating when I was 13 years old, I had always been interested in it because I had seen ramps down south and I had toy skateboards when i was growing up but didnt know at that time there was a whole industry behind planks with 4 wheels.

Can you remember your first deck and who was the skater that inspired you?

My first setup was shit but my first good skateboard was a Real deck, white with red stars and I got it in Italy when i was on holiday and came across a big skate comp going on at the time, I was blown away by this guy Ollieing two deck chairs and I met my first Pro Skater Rodney Clarke who had just truend pro for Reaction at the time.

What spots do you love in Manchester and what is the best trick you have pulled there?

My Favourite spot in Manchester were the BBC banks on Oxford road but now they have been skate stopped, now its a bit boring but probably Urbis. I wouldnt say my best trick but my favourite trick i have done at BBC banks was a backside wallride because its something i had tried for while and one day it just clicked and I did a few in a row, Its real awkward there because of the run up and the steepness of the bank etc.

Is there any trick that has always eluded you that you desperately want to nail down?

Pushing Switch hahaha, anything is possible you just have to work it out.

Check out Eddie in this edit from earlier in the year, where he gives you a boards eye view of some of the hottest spots in Manchester.

Up and coming apparel line Whittus are mad on skating, and they ain’t to bad at it either! Not only that, but they look good while they do it donning some high quality garms, with some unique and interesting designs bound to catch peoples eye! We asked their leader Matt a few questions about what we can expect from them in 2013, their plans for Go Skateboarding Day and what they think of the Manchester skate scene! Check out their line on their awesome site here!

As s skate based apparel line, what do you guys have planned for Go Skateboarding Day?

Me personally? Or Us all at Whittus?… I guess it doesn’t matter either way, we’ll all be out together. I’ll be filming with my new camera – had to fit it in there! – and i’m guessing depending on the weather we’ll be hitting Euxton Skatepark in the morning and Blackpool’s Ramp City in the afternoon!

How do you think fashion and skating work together, is style a big part of your skating?
Fashion and skating, wow, yeah they go hand in hand. I mean look at all the skaters that are out there, they’re all sponsored by brands which help them pursue their careers. I believe clothing is a massive part of a skaters image and persona, we wanted our videos and skating to reflect the style we go for, so in answer to the original question, yeah.

What do you think Manchester has to offer skaters? Any spots you love and would recommend?
Manchester has loads of potential for skaters. With the new Beastyramps just out of the city centre, Projekts, Central and soo many good spots to hit up i’d say the only thing missing is that it needs more skaters flying around. Spots I can recommend, okay Im kinda bad with directions, but here goes. There’s Urbis – any skater will know this is normally drowned out by kids. There’s the car parks near to Deansgate, underground tunnels with a few sets, rails and curbs, it’s okay, the best spots are kinda hard to be directed to.

What is the best trick a member of the Whittus team can do and are there any you guys are working hard to nail?
Best Trick goes to Jack McKnight, Inward Heelflip from a 5 foot drop. Theres so many tricks in the making, Danny Chadwicks has progressed so much recently, and admitted himself that he’s felt the pressure to step his game up, which within 3 attempts nailed a nose grind across a 4 foot block (footage in upcoming video, check it out soon!)

Have any of you suffered any major injuries at the hands of your deck?
Me, well i’m not actually that big of a skater. I can do the basics but I mainly just film my team. The most recent bail’s got to be my man Butterz. I didn’t actually witness the bail but he slammed his back onto concrete after attempting a Nollie back Disaster on the high quarter at Euxton. Around 3 days ago.. He’s still suffering which is a bit annoying for him, and us!

Finally, what can we expect from Whittus for the rest of 2013?
Well ill keep it minimal, we’re working on huge project, hopefully introducing some new team members on release in late 2013!

About Ric

As a co-founder of Rock Transmission I love what i do and what I do is music. When I'm not in front of the screen, you will find me in front of the stage!
Music may be the centre of the Rock Transmission universe, but sport and fashion play a big part of it all, so skating and buying a stupid amount of merch comes with the territory!
Twitter: @fletonfosho